FWIW
I had previously removed the original vinyl decals from FT as they were faded. I have had the all white FT for a couple of years and pined for a little more color. I looked into full body paint and frankly would have loved it. I just could not justify the cost with kids in college. So...., I bought some SOB decals from a seller on ebay that got them from a RV company that went belly up, and after some compounding...Voila'... Now, I have a FT that looks like a SOB. The total cost was less than 1 coach buck. I am not as happy as full body paint but I do like it.
Nice work! It looks very nice.
Kurt
How do you remove the old graphics , It looks great and the price was right
NOTHING you do to a Foretravel will make it look like a SOB - it has too much inherent class! The stripes look great!
By the way, I personally think the all-white coaches look pretty cool (figuratively, and literally) -
especially in the older GV models.
Photos below of one that occupied the adjacent bay last time we were at FOT (that's our GV in the background):
Well,
I have to be honest, I did not do it personally (removal or application of new). I think the best way is with a heat gun and a razor blade scraper IF you can be careful and not dig into the fiberglass. Probably best obviously to do in the summer. I had a local body shop do it for me. Yes, there are some digs in the glass but not too bad. I wasn't thrilled with their work on that. I think I could have done better than them. There was still some residue from the glue when it came back and I removed with old gasoline (i know it can be dangerous) with a green 3m scratcher then followed up with a lot of dawn soap and water. Any organic solvent should remove the residue. I just had some old outboard gas and did not know what to do with it. I of course wore some gloves while using. I used Nitrile vs latex gloves as they get eaten up but more slowly. I did this removal a couple of years ago and just now got the stripes done.
Very nice, Charles! I'll have to stop by and see it in person next time I swing down to the island.
Chris
decal removal (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=21517.0)
Way to go, Charles b^.^d
Plain white coaches look like some sort of HazMat response vehicle :help:
Once upon a time the 3M Company had a graphics catalog showing everything they offer, has anyone seen it lately?
FWIW,
The graphics were 3M. I was looking at them and that is the brand. I did not get them from 3M tho (as noted) but, rather from ebay.
Best of travels.
I think the white gelcoat with some decals to break it up is the best looking and most practical. It's cooler temp wise, and less worry about scratches. Too bad the general public disagrees. I would never want an RV painted darker colors. It's hard enough keeping them cool in the sun as it is.
Looks good to me.
That looks like a great Foretravel that is done YOUR WAY.
Nice to have a coach that we can personalize like that and look great.
Even nicer that is costs much less than other options, so if you don't want to spend the $$$$ on full body paint, there are good options available.
Thanks for sharing.
100% the original Foretravel design idea. Like almost every boat in the harbor
I just spent the last week+ removing the graphics and buffing out the gel coat.. I had planned to replace the 95 graphics with a new set I have.
After looking at it almost bare ( I left the bottom stripes) I think I will wait to install the new decals.
I like the white, clean look with minimal graphics.
When I finished one side I had the other side with graphics to compare too. The side with graphics started to make me think it looked like a circus vehicle. TOO much!
Charles that looks lovely....and amen, C & J...that classic, elegant FT look is just that...and virtually impossible to imitate....clean, uniform, unmistakable...I actually had the boys (after the original stripes were removed, which was a bugar!) use the original 1997 FT brochure to make her look exactly the same as when she came out of the factory...this will do beautifully until ("if") I decide to do the light FBP one of these days. If or when that does happen, she will stay nice & light, but these original colors (painted on, by the way) are hard to beat!
Any chance you could post a picture at some point?
I have to go back to work this week so I will not Finnish till next weekend. I will try and post some pictures then.
Here are a couple shots. Its soooo white its hard to look at on a bright day, VERY clean look.
Just be careful when you drive in
blizzards - your coach will
completely disappear, and everybody else will be running into you!
I like the nice clean look . You did a great job. This will be my winter project.
I heard a properly operated coach would never see blizzard conditions, my understanding was when it was time to change out of shorts and flip flops it was time to head South.I have quite a ways to go to get there myself but I sure like the concept!
Lon & Cheryl--What a great looking result! Looks very crisp and classic. Good job all the way around. You've inspired me to get busy and start de-decaling.
Ours was stripped, re-painted and re-striped with 3M factory-matched wraps. I have the invoices: $12,000 +++She looks brand new, a company in Phoenix did the work.
Lon
Love the clean way your coach looks. I have started removing my decals and play to buff the gelcoat also.
I just showed Karen the pics of your coach and she said " Wow- that looks great."
I am going for the same look- great inspiration- thanks.
I used the 3m rubber wheel that fits the corded drill to remove the decals. I tried the cheaper version of the rubber wheel that is available on Amazon and found it worked as well at much less cost. It took about 3 wheels for each side.
I went over areas that were missed with acetone.
I did NOT buff out the fiberglass.
After the decals were removed I rubbed with a 3M green pad and buffed the entire coach with Bar Keepers Friend on a wool buffing wheel that was wet, even the metal. On larger areas I could not hit with the buffer I used a electric 1/3 sheet sander with 800 grit wet sand paper. This left a dull but WHITE fiberglass gel coat.
I then washed it with a low power electric power washer from Harbor Freight and Dawn to remove the Bar Keepers Friend.
I then used ZEP High Gloss Floor Finnish (available at Menards for about $23 a gallon, took 2 gallons).
I used a micro fiber cloth and rubber gloves to apply the Zep. I also used a dust mop with a micro fiber pad and a paint roller tray to apply Zep. It took 5 coats just to seal the fiberglass. a total of 7 coats gave me a nice deep shine.
I did experience drips when using the floor mop, I will remove those next year. The micro fiber rag worked the best but took longer. Easier to wring to a less drippy consistency.
Lon-
Thanks for description of your renewed coach- looks great.
I am using a hair dryer and a sharp chisel edge to remove the old decals. I also have a cheaper version of the wheel which works fine, but rattles my teeth...........lol. I find that if I work on the decals after they have been sitting in the sun a while- it is even easier.
Solar power is great. I am only doing a little at a time since we are full time, and now traveling to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.
This is my winter project- so the sun in the southwest should help me loosen up some old decals.................... ^.^d
After the decals are gone, and I clean off the residual adhesive, I will use my dual action buffer, wool pad, and 3M Marine Restorer/Wax to buff out the coach. Small areas at a time and working slowly should give me good results and a clean look like your coach Lon.
Cya down the road.
Ted
Your coaches all look great. I removed all my factory striping on our 87 Grand Villa about 18 months ago using a heat gun and a series of softer plastic putty knives. These ensured that we didn't gouge the fiberglass. A rubber stripe removal wheel was used for some of the areas, and I used 3M adhesive remover to get all of the glue boogers off . It was a long job (probably close to 100 hours) but well worth the time. I procured a complete new original FOT stripe kit from Robert at Encore RV's in Texas (before he closed his doors). Once the removal was complete I brought it to Stripeline in Portland Oregon (we live in this area). They do most of the RV decal restoration in this area. They stripped and buffed the entire coach, installed all of the new decals and even printed all new Grand Villa Logo decals for the entire coach. She now looks factory new. We just took a 2000 mile trip to Southern Utah to the 5 national parks and had curious inquiries at each park we stayed at. We tackled all new carpet and linoleum this past winter. This winter the furniture all gets re-upholstered (with new foam padding) and curtains get their facelift as well.
A year and model in signatures helps all of us. Versus guess?
It's in the first sentence of my post ... "87 Grand Villa" ... I left out 36' ORED.
That is great sounding. Do you have pictures of it?
well Done Gary! Glad those vintage dcals still had life in them
Perhaps you could add your coach info to your profile on the Forum for future reference when you post
Hope to see your machine in person.